Penicillin Gives Rash To Some People

Chronicle (Levin), 3 October 1949, Page 4

Penicillin Gives Rash To Some People

♦ BUNEDTN, Rept. 30. The "wonder drug" penieillin, which has gained increasingly wide popular ity since it first came into general use a few years ago, is now becoming $ Mproblem drug. " Doetors do not consider the problem a serious ons, however", but they have admitted tliai the use of peuicillin has in many casea recently caused a rash on the patient's skin. This rash is known - as "penieillin eczema" and "penieillin dermatitis. " When it appears, all penieillin treatment has to he discontinned. Yarious soothing and drving lotions are prescribed for the rash, which elears np in a short time. In some cases where penieillin ointment has been applied to an atfected part the rash has broken out around the lesion. Penieillin taken orally has also caused this rash on the skin. The rash is fiery red in colour and very irritating. If it is touehed by the hand of the patient and unwittinglv transferred to another part of the bodv, the rash is transferred there and becomes apparent in a short time. Wliat properties in penieillin are eausing this rash is not generally known. Neither can it be said foT eertain what the fnture effect s will be. As far as can be aseertained, penieillin produced during the war did not eanse this rash, and it seems that some deviation at present from the wartime method of producing it may be the cause of the trouble.